We went to Bali years ago and though it is a beautiful island we did not have the best time. Traveling has it’s ups and downs and some places don’t always meet expectation. Even though I didn’t love Bali at first, there were still many highlights of the trip that we enjoyed. Here’s a few of my favorite things to do in Bali.
Tanah Lot Temple
Tanah lot was definitely my favorite site in Bali. The temple is built on a rock in the middle of the ocean accessible by foot only during low tide. Watching the sunset here was simply amazing. There are no words to describe the beauty of watching the sun melt into the ocean behind the temple. We actually visited this temple twice, the first time was in a torrential downpour and we didn’t get to see the sunset so of course we had to come back.
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You do see locals fishing and gather molluscs here which I found fascinating and hungry!! I love fresh seafood and if I hadn’t been too embarrassed I would have asked what they caught.
Nusa Dua Beach
This beach is simply beautiful. It’s exactly what I look for in a beach, clear blue water, with powdery white sand. And it was virtually deserted! We swam and basked in the sunlight while watching a local fish for dinner. We also chanced upon some sort of ritual going on but didn’t venture over to pry.
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The only downside was we did notice some trash on the beach left I believe by tourists, which makes me very very sad. Please leave no trace behind!
And of course on our way back to our villa, we spotted a noodle cart and had to stop by for a bite. I can never say no to noodles!
Spas
The spas and treatments in Bali are glorious and so inexpensive. We had 4 hour treatments at a beautiful location in Ubud for about $50 USD. This included your own private room with a rose petal bath overlooking a rice paddy. So tranquil!
The view from the soaking tub, ahhh, I still dream about this place.
We were surrounded by beautiful bowls of flowers everywhere.
After the treatments they served us delicious hot tea.
The specific spa we went to was Kayana and the service was absolutely excellent. We bought a package for massages, facial, and scrub. Everything was perfect, though do mention allergies to them. I’m allergic to cucumbers and this was part of their natural facial treatment!
Jimbaran Bay for Dinner
I love nothing more than dining on the beach with my toes in the sand. We had an excellent seafood dinner at Jimbaran Bay. You get to pick your own live seafood and they cook it for you, doesn’t get much fresher than that.
But surprisingly my absolute favorite food item in all of Bali was from the corn vendor on the beach here. Yes, I left my table and walked over and bought an ear of corn. Fresh roasted and covered with spicy lime coconut oil, it was heavenly. You know there’s food items that bring you back to a place, every time I think about this place I think about Bali.
Obu Oka Babi Guling
This is a specialty roast pork restaurant in Ubud. After watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain dine here, we knew we had to go eat their specialty roasted pork and we were not disappointed. This was by far the best pork I’ve ever had. Each morsal tender and bursting with flavor, and the crackling of skin, let’s just say I still dream about it. It’s sad to say this was the sole reason we went to Ubud. We were hungry little piggies.
And we washed it down with a nice fresh coconut.
Stayed tuned for my next post on tips for traveling to Bali! If you have more time in Bali I would recommend checking out the Gili Islands! We did not have enough time to go unfortunately but the beaches there look amazing.
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Just today I spoke with my colleagues about Bali … and your wonderful post makes me now dream about this paradise island. Thanks a lot for sharing all these adorable pictures and wow, you are definitely perfectly in shape!
xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
http://www.dressedwithsoul.com
Aww Thank you Rena!! You should definitely go! There’s many things I would redo on my next trip!
Have heard so much lovely about Bali and I’d love to visit! This post just confirmed it!! Xx
http://www.thefashionfolks.com
Awww thank you!
Oh I hope to make it to Bali one day . . . what a great post. Looks like so much fun and also so relaxing.
Life is just Rosie
Thank you Rosie! It was a lot of fun!
Your trip in Bali looks absolutely gorgeous! I never visited myself, but it is on my must see list 🙂
http://www.pennyanddash.com
Mel it’s definitely a bucketlist item!!
Ahhh all these pictures make me want to go to Bali so badly!! Thank you for such awesome tips! Hope you had an amazing time!
XO Jenn
http://www.jennsemble.com
You should definitely make the trip! Tanah Lot was definitely my favorite temple of all time!
Your trip to Bali sounds AMAZING! The water looks so clear and the spa for only 50 dollars? WOW!
xo, Christina
http://www.christinabeex3.com/
hahaha yeah!! the spas there are killer!! and there’s sooo many!
Great post!
http://curlyjosephine.blogspot.ba/
Thank you Josipa!
Great post and photos Diana! I’ve never been to Bali, but I hope I will one day soon!
x
Stella
http://www.stellaasteria.com
Thank you stella!! I hope you make it there!
Wow, I have never been to Bali but have always wanted to go! These photos look incredible and Bali is such a beautiful location. The food looks amazing too. Thanks for sharing! xoxo, Christine
http://dailykongfidence.com/
I love noodles so much too haha 🙂 These photos are all beautiful and really made me want to visit Bali! Thank you so much for sharing!
xo, Esther
http://bubblesther.com
yaaay a fellow noodle lover! thank you for stopping by!
What amazing pictures! I definitely need to put Bali on my travel bucket list. It looks like just an interesting place to visit. Great photos!
Love, Lindsey
http://thenomisniche.com/
Such beautiful sites and great pictures. I love.
http://sophieatieno.com
I went snorkeling in Amed and it was wonderful. I’d love to go back to Bali.
xoxo,
Emma
http://petitemaisonoffashion.blogspot.com/ ♥
This is so inspiring! I love the post:)
irenethayer.com
Super informative post! Thank you so much for writing this! Bali is right on top of my travel list right now and I’m planning a trip there later this year!
I took down so many notes from your post really thanks a lot! ♥
love from Tokyo!
Nicola
tiredoftokyo.com
Awww Nicola I’m so glad you enjoyed it! You will have a blast! I have another post plans on tips before you go! Thank you for stopping by!
look like you have so much fun
and love all the picture
http://www.callmeponyboy.blogspot.com
Wow these photos are absolutely stunning! My favorite is the bathtub with all of the flowers in it – So relaxing and simply gorgeous!
http://stopdropandvogue.com/
awwww thank you so much Taylor! it’s so funny the attendant caught me taking that! LOL
this makes me hungry! been a while since the last time I visited Bali.
Oh Dear Bumblebees
hahaha we did have some good food there!! that pork was to die for!
Fantastic images
http://www.falifo.com
So many beautiful things to see in Bali! Loved the pictures! x
Have a nice week,
Andreea
http://couturezilla.com/
Thank you Andreea!
Sooo want to visit Bali!! And your photos are making me want to even more!!
xoxo,
Sangyay
great vacation!
It was thank you for stopping by!
Love this! Great post x
http://www.fromluxewithlove.com
http://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/from-luxe-with-love-14590195
Wooow! I mean these photos look just AMAZING!!! I cannot believe that you had not the greatest time on Bali, I would love to go there!! Mostly the sunset picture is beautiful:)) I am so jealous!:)
Great post! Bali is definitely on the top of my bucket list (:
Camilla | http://cammi.dk
I visited Bali recently and could really relate to this! The only thing I didn’t do is Jimbaran bay.. I really liked Tanah Lot though..and everything in Ubud =)
Great post! My sisters just got back from a few weeks in Bali and it looks incredible – it’s definitely on my wish list!
How amazing is Bali, great list
I just love Bali sooooo much! Definitely have to save this for the next visit ?
I am going to Bali soon and loved this advice!
What kinda noodles were those!? Looks like fish balls noodle and looks sooooo good!!!!!! Bali’s probably number 1 on my bucket list right now and this just totally makes me wanna hop on a flight there ASAP! Beautiful photos too by the way. Tanah lot looks absolutely magical!
Bali is becoming a really popular destination! Those beaches look amazing. And who can say no to noodles?? 🙂
Really thankful for this useful post !! you told us deeply about the best thing to do in Bali. Bali is really such a nice place to go for holidays . My next holiday destination will definitely be Bali.
I just love your photos of Bali. Unfortunately every time I think about Bali I think of Kuta and I’m sure there is so much more to see than that.
I know what you mean!!! I didn’t really like kuta!!
Bali is becoming a really popular destination!I just love your photos of Bali.
Great Place to Travel.